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vegetation with much needed moisture, as the rest of the summer would be characterized by well <br />• below average precipitation (Figure 6b). In the context of the six or four-months preceding <br />sampling (Figures 8b and 9b, respectively) it is clear that the middle part of 2008 encountered <br />below average precipitation which essentially acted to stunt vegetation growth for the rest of the <br />season. At the time of sampling, it was clear that vigorous vegetation growth in both native and <br />reclaimed areas had encountered moisture deficiency with associated minor wilting and <br />predominant dull green luster. <br />Biotic Factors Affecting Vegetation <br />Grasshoppers plagued the reclaimed areas of several of the Seneca mines in 2008 and may <br />have negatively affected overall cover and production values. The predominant plant species that <br />appears to have been targeted and denuded by grasshoppers was alfalfa. These effects were <br />more notable at the Seneca IIW Mine than at the Yoast Mine. <br />Cover <br />Observed allowable herbaceous cover values used in derivation of the 2008 herbaceous cover <br />standard are compiled in the table below: <br /> <br />Yoast 2008 Allowable all-hit herbaceous cover (absolute)* <br /> <br />Vegetation Type Mean Cover Sample <br />size (n) Nmin % of Affected <br />Aread <br />Sagebrush/Snowberry a 38.7 15 26 24.0 <br />Mountain Brush a 49.1 15 14 48.9 <br />Aspen Woodland a 96.3 15 5 24.4 <br />Steep Mountain Brush a 20.9 15 23 2.7 <br />Phase II Reclamation Area 46.7 20 11 NA <br />2001 Reclamation Area 44.5 5 NA NA <br />2004 Reclamation Area 59.9 7 NA NA <br />2006 Reclamation Area 13.1 17 NA NA <br />*Percent "all-hit" cover (absolute) by herbaceous species as corrected for "allowable" annual and <br />biennial cover (i.e. no more than 10 percent relative cover allowed, See CDMG 1995, 1.N.A.). <br />• Cover by noxious weed species, if any, also subtracted. <br />16